Improvement in folding-guides for sewing-machines



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Folding Guides for Sewing-Machines. No.138,306. Patented April 29, 1873.

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S. W. WOOD.

Folding Guides for Sewing-Machines. No. 138,306. Patented Apri|2 9,1873.

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STEPHEN W. WOOD, OFOOBNWALL, YORK IMPROVEMENT IN FOLDING-GUIDES FORSEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 138,306, dated April29, 1873; application filed April 9, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN W. WOOD, of Cornwall, county of Orange andState of New York, have invented an Improved Folding v Guide forSewing-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a fulland exact description thereof, reference being had to the construction;Fig. 7, an end view of part of the folding-guide detached; Fig. 8, aview showing another modification of the foldingguide by usin g asuccession of guide-slots to the guide-plate; Fig. 9, a longitudinalsection of the modification shown in Fig. 8 Fig. 10, a side elevation ofthe folding-guidewith a representation of the divisions thereofindicated by dotted lines, showing the successive functional actionswhich they leave on the binding-strip; Fig. 11, a portion of abindingstrip shown in connection with Fig. 10 to indicate the severalstages in the operation of folding; Fig. 12, a longitudinal section ofthe folding=guide as represented in Fig. 10 Fig. 13, a view the same asFig. 10, but showing a modified form of one part thereof; Figs. 14. and15, side views, showing the folding-guide in two separate parts foreither single or double folding of the strip; Fig. 16, a side view,showanother modification of one partof the foldingguide.

Like letters indicute corresponding parts in all of the figures.

My invention consists in several features of improvement, which I shallproceed to specify in order.

The main part or body of the guide is a vertical plate, A, provided witha horizontal flange, a, which is secured upon the clothplate of thesewing-machine by means of a screw passed through a slot, b, in properposition relative to the needle of the machine. The functional parts ofthe folding-guide are three, operating in succession-first, anedgeturning throat or guide, B, which turns up the edges of thebinding-strip, as indicated in Fig. 3; second, a laying aperture orguide, 0, which lays the turned edges flat upon the middle part or bodyof the strip third, a folding throat or guide, D, which folds togetherthe two laid edges, between which the cloth to be bound is inserted. Theedge-turning throat B, into which the binding-strip is first inserted,has simply the slot-like form with turned edges 0 0, corresponding tothe form to be given to the-strip before it is presented to the nextfunctional part, (3. If only one edge of the strip is to be folded thereis only one turned edge 0 to this throat or guide B, as shown in Fig. 5.It is attached to the plate A by a set-screw, d, passed through avertical slot, f, in the plate, so that the throat can be adjusted upand down laterally to thebinding strip. By this lateral adjustment thebinding-strip can be folded one edge just even with the other, or oneedge lapping more. or less beyond the other. The laying-guide 0 consistsof an angular aperture through the plate A, or through anotheflplateattached to the folding-guide, the form being substantial 1y as shown inFig. 1, so that the oblique edgesg 9 thereof shall be presented to thebinding-strip, which passes through it from one side of the plate to theother. If only one edge of the strip is to be folded, only one edge, 9,of the aperture is oblique, as shown in Fig. 6, there being a 'lateralslot, h, to give room for the passage of the other edge without foldingit. binding-strip after passing through the aperture G and folds the twoedges thereof together, or one edge upon the body of the strip if onlyone edge of the strip is to be folded. The sides ii are parallel, andfar enough apart to admit the folded edges of the strip together withthe edge of the cloth upon which the binding-strip is to be sewed. It isopen at one edge to receive the edge of thecloth. It is attached to theplate A or to the flange thereof by screws k is, so that it can beremoved if the binding-strip is not to be completely folded. Centrallywithin the folding-throat D is located a tongue, E, projecting from theplate A so that its sides and outer edge shall not The folding-throat Dreceives the come in contact with the interior surface of the throat,butshall leave room for the free passage of the strip beside it. The tonguemay be rigid and have the form and position shown in Figs. 2 and 4, orit may be elastic and arranged as shown in Figs. 10, 12, and 16. It isnot necessary to the proper working of the folding-guide; but it ispreferably used, as the folding is made more accurate whenit is used.

The successive parts of the operation of folding by this improvedfolding-guide are clearly indicated in Figs. 10, 11, and 12, thedivisions 1 2 3 of the strip shown in Fig. 11 indicating successivelythe stages of folding by the three guides B C D of the instrument.

In Fig. 13 the guide-aperture G is shown fully oblique on one side forlaying one edge.

of the strip, and only slightly oblique on the other side-not intendedto be sufficient to lay the other edge of the strip; but, when only oneedge is to be folded, the form shown in Fig. '6 is preferable, since theside notch it receives the edge not to be folded and prevents anydoubling thereof. When only the edges of the strip are to be folded thedouble folding-guide D is to be dispensed with. As arranged in Figs. 1and 2, this part is detachable from the flange a of the plate A byremoving the screws k k.

In Figs. 14 and 15 the guide D is shown attached to a separate plate, G,Fig. 14, while the other guides belong to the plate A, Fig. 15. Thus oneplate may be used alone or both together, as required. The oblique edgeI, Fig. 2, of the guide-throat D serves to direct the folds of the stripinto the guide and to prevent its puckering betweenthe guides G and Itis not necessary that the obliquely-edged guide 0 should be an aperturethrough the plate. It may have the form of a throat or tube, 0, as shownat the left-hand side of the guide-throat B in Figs. 1 and 2, therebeing oblique edges 9 g at the mouth of the throat, as seen in Fig. 1.This modified guide is represented in proper relation to theguide-throat B for receiving the binding-strip when moving from right toleft. On the other hand it is not necessary that ,the edge-turning guideB should have the form of a throat or tube; but it may be asuitablyformed aperture through a plate, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Herethe aperture B through the plate A, having the bent form substantiallyas represented, serves to turn the edges of the bindingstrip, which thenpasses through an aperture, H, in the plate, the latter being bent to anangle at that part, as shown in Fig. 2, so

that the strip may pass directly to the layingaperture 0 in the platewithout bending or pressing out of position or shape.

To direct the strip properly into the guide aperture B it is firstpassed through a loop, I, on the plate, as represented.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the edge-turning guide-throat B, or itsequivalent, with the plate having the edge-laying guide-aperture O, asand for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the edgeturning guide-throat B, or its equivalent,and the plate provided with the guide-aperture, with the folding guideor throat D, the combination operating substantially as described.

STEPHEN W. WOOD.

Witnesses:

J os. BROWN, E. M. GALLAHER.

